Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he was benched and needs to improve
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to hear from head coach Dave Canales that he had been put on the bench and accepted responsibility for the team’s difficulties on the field.
“It wasn’t something I necessarily expected,” Young said after Thursday’s practice“It’s obviously not something very pleasant to hear. But I respect coach Canales and the organization.”
Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since arriving in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected first overall in the 2023 draft.
The Panthers are 0-2 this season and haven’t been competitive in either game. They’ve been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young hasn’t thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.
Andy Dalton, 36, will start Sunday in Las Vegas.
Young placed the blame for his demotion on his own shoulders, saying he needed to be more productive.
“Last year and these first two games, most of the time every snap fell into my hands and I didn’t do enough at the end of the day,” Young said“I take responsibility for it. There are games and a long list of things I’d like to be better at and I’m going to continue to work and grow and improve. I’m always going to look in the mirror.”
He added: “If I had gone out there and played better and we had won games, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Young is the first quarterback selected first overall in the common draft era, which began in 1967, to be benched for reasons unrelated to injury in his second season.
But the QB said he hasn’t lost confidence in his own abilities, even though the demotion raises questions about his future in Carolina.
Canales tried to soften the blow Wednesday, saying he still believes Young can be a franchise quarterback and that the the team has no intention of trading him.
As for whether he still considers himself Carolina’s franchise quarterback, Young deflected the question, saying, “Really, right now, I’m a day-to-day person. The big things are not in my hands. That’s in God’s hands. The organizational stuff, that’s up there with the people at the top” in management.
Young said he was grateful for the support of his teammates and would continue to approach the game the same way.
“I’m a competitor and it’s not what you dream or what you think is going to happen, but I trust in God,” Young said. “I know He’s in control and I’m extremely blessed. It’s not an ideal thing, but at the end of the day, that’s the way it is. I have to focus on what I can do right now to get better.”
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